


Sea-Shaken

by Turtle_ier



Series: Turtle's MCYT AUs [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retellings, First Meetings, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, Magic, Minecraft, Potions, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Strangers to Lovers, author used to write horror so some of that is here, minecraft au, no actual horror though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:48:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25823161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turtle_ier/pseuds/Turtle_ier
Summary: When Sapnap was a kid he used to pretend that nothing scared him, but now he had to admit that something did. It was a rather unfortunate coincidence that the thing he feared was filled with a mystery so tempting, that it was enough to bring him back to it again and again.Excerpt:'The cove itself was relatively small, but led into the wider sea through a mouth of water around thirty metres across. The water was a clear, blue-green colour, which lapped gently at the shoreline. Based on the look of it, the sea was going out, but that wasn't what caught his attention.“Dream!” Sapnap yelled, “Someone’s in the water!”'
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), GeorgeNotFound/Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: Turtle's MCYT AUs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875367
Comments: 13
Kudos: 363





	1. Chapter 1

When Sapnap was younger, he used to pretend that nothing scared him.

Skeletons, heights, clowns and basements were a laughing matter, on the outside at least, when he and his friends took turns in asking one another about their fears. In truth, he went through all the motions with them that anyone else would - more or less. He learned to stop fearing heights when he leapt of a cliff a few dozen times into water. He stopped fearing clowns when he realised that there was an impossible chance of ever coming across one again. He stopped fearing skeletons when he realised that while they may not bleed like he does, they can still break apart and die. 

Depths, especially caverns and mineshafts, were for a while his Achilles heel. 

Often, when he first came to this… place, he died down there. He died a lot, back then, usually to monsters or falling, but he never feared either. The walls, however, feeling like walking down them was a sure-fire way to never see daylight again, feeling like they were closing in, feeling like he was entering the mouth of some great creature with stalactites for teeth and moss for a tongue - the walls he always thought were closing in. 

For a long time, he feared caves. 

Eventually, he got over it. He had to, eventually. Sapnap didn't break out into a nervous sweat whenever he was somewhere without the sky or at least windows, and he didn't come out of the caves gasping for air like he had held his breath the entire time he was down there. 

And for a while he was fine.

But he still should have paid more attention to where he was going. 

It had been a beautiful day when Dream and Sapnap had stepped out of his house that morning, and since they were only heading out towards the village, neither of them were wearing the cumbersome iron armour that usually made up their figures. A light breeze was in the air, heading in the same direction as them, and the sky was cloudless and lighter towards the horizon. The savannah was quiet, aside from their footsteps and a few crickets, until Sapnap spoke up.

“Dream,” he said, and Dream cast a glance his way, “are you sure the villagers will still be there?”

“You mean since the raid?”

“Yeah,” Sapnap wiped a hand across his forehead. One thing they hadn't accounted for was the heat of the day beating down on them, and he was sweating through his hoodie. Dream had already taken his jacket off, and it hung from his hips like a dead weight.

“They better be,” Dream muttered, “I don't see why they wouldn't be, though. They had two Iron Golems.”

Sapnap winced. “Ravagers, though.”

“Nah. Eight villagers live there, they’re not gonna send Ravagers to a place that small.” 

So they went, the savannah grass brushing their ankles and the afternoon sun beating down on their backs like the feeling of being watched, and while the silence they had found themselves in was comfortable, Sapnap couldn't help but feel like something was wrong, almost like the day was _too_ beautiful.

Sure enough, when the village was finally in sight, Sapnap could see the closest building - the library - had part of its wall broken down.

Dream stopped when he caught sight of it, opening his mouth and closing it again without saying a word. Sapnap couldn't see the rest of his face behind his mask, but being able to see only his mouth was enough. The sun was still watching their backs, and their shadows stretched across the grass in front of them like they were trying to lead them further towards the village.

“I don't think there’s going to be eight villagers anymore, Dream.”

Dream snorted. “Shut up,” he said, but there was no real heat behind the words. If anything, Sapnap would say that he sounded worried. “We’ll look anyway. If we find anyone we can bring them to the north village. They’ll help whoever we find.”

“ _Might_ find,” Sapnap corrected, “but here’s hoping.” 

Without another word, they continued over the tussocks towards the village, keeping an eye out for any signs of movement between the half-standing houses. But by the time they reached the edge of the village, it was safe to say that the eight villagers were gone. Sapnap reached out to push the door to the library open, hoping at least to see a certain sign that they were either killed or moved away, but the only thing he saw was an empty interior to a building, with bookshelves half empty and papers over the floor. The acacia wood walls were mostly unharmed and unmarked, aside from the hole in one side of the building, and the breeze flitted through like it didn't quite know if it was welcome. Sapnap could hear Dream opening the door to one of the residential buildings, which usually just held a bed, table and chairs, but he couldn't hear the other man go inside. 

Sapnap closed the door to the library, which he realised was a little untactful given the circumstances, and he instead stepped over the remains of an Iron Golem and went to the fishing hut, which was the closest building to the cove. 

The cove itself was relatively small, but led into the wider sea through a mouth of water around thirty metres across. The water was a clear, blue-green colour, which lapped gently at the shoreline. Based on the look of it, the sea was going out, but that wasn't what caught his attention.

“Dream!” Sapnap yelled, “Someone’s in the water!”

He could hear Dream yelling something as well, but he didn't pause in rushing to the fishing hut and untying one of the mooring ropes to a rowboat. There was another boat tied to the shore, if Dream decided to get in the water as well, but the villager would take up the second seat on his own, leaving no room for Dream or himself if they shared. 

The water was smooth and didn't resist his rowing, but getting out into the cove felt like it took a lifetime, with the villager’s (or persons, which he hadn't considered at first) head remaining above the water but turned away from him, like they were waiting for a wave to come through the mouth of the cove and pull them under. 

He wasn't close enough to pull them into the boat - still fifteen or so metres from them - when a wave came through the mouth of the cove and did exactly that, arching over them and pulling their head below the water.

Sapnap was no hero. He used to pretend that nothing scared him, and he was never scared to admit that he wasn't a hero, but he still dived out the boat when he reached where they had been, sinking down after the retreating figure. He could have gone faster, would have, if he was wearing the iron armour, and he could have, should have, learnt to swim something that wasn't breaststroke.

And holy _shit_ , the water was colder than it looked. 

But they were sinking fast, and Sapnap ground his teeth together against it and went down with them, keeping his eyes open against the salt and the rapidly decreasing temperatures to see where they were going. They were stuck in a bubble stream, he realised, pulling them down into an underwater ravine, filled to the brim with water and darkness and-- 

Maybe he wasn't as over caves as he assumed. 

In a rush, air left his lungs and streamed from his mouth, and he made a noise that even he didn't know how to name, and he was being pulled further down, and he couldn't breathe, and the sun was so far away, and--

And. 

Someone was leaning on his chest.

That was the first thing he realised when he woke up, other than the sun-warmed stone below him, and the sun warming his front. Sapnap could hardly open his eyes, let alone say something, but he managed to pry them open in time to see someone silhouetted above him, their face blocking out the sun. 

In retrospect, it took him a long time to realise that the person - or man, whichever - wasn't Dream, and it was embarrassing to realise that it was because he got distracted by staring into the other man’s eyes. 

As soon as Sapnap registered what was happening, however, the other man pushed himself away and disappeared from his line of sight, and distantly, he could hear the sound of water as they swam away. 

He could also hear the sound of someone running on sand towards him.

Sapnap turned his head just in time for Dream to say, “Dude, Sapnap, you okay?” 

Dream looked like he had tried swimming after him and the other man as well, but decided against going too far down, and was wet everywhere aside from his hair. His mouth was pulled down into a frown, but the mask kept smiling like seeing Sapnap almost drown was the best thing it had seen all day. 

He meant to say, ‘do I look like I’m okay?’, but unfortunately, all he did was throw himself to one side and throw up a mixture of seawater and breakfast. 

Dream probably would have laughed if it didn't get on his shoes. 

“And you’re certain it was a person? Not like, a Drowned or something?”

Dream leant against the wall of the blacksmith’s shop, still missing his hoodie since it was drying outside, and with his smiling mask firmly in place. The ends of his hair had dried up and curled, looking like a bird's nest atop his head, but Sapnap didn't mention it. 

The blacksmith’s was one of the buildings that was still upright, and while it didn't have any beds to sleep in, they had dragged two over from the other residential buildings in the village. The lava outside the shop popped and gurgled, reminding Sapnap of when he used to travel for miles to avoid going underground for obsidian, and then it reminded him of being in caves, and then of the figure retreating into the depths of the deep, cold, inhospitable ocean. 

“He looked human,” Sapnap said with certainty, “and he was a dude, I’m sure of it.” 

“I don't think he was human,” Dream said, shaking his head, “he was an impressive swimmer, even while carrying your dead weight. Maybe he’s part squid.”

Sapnap made a face at the imagery, “Squid? Why not just like a fish or something?” 

He shrugged. “Squids are… interesting, I guess. They’re pretty cool.”

There was a lull for a moment, and Sapnap took the opportunity to finally remove his half-wet hoodie and to drape it over the unlit furnace. Outside, it was only just getting dark, and he could see the sky purpling as the light faded. Their torch crackled occasionally as the tallow in the wick melted and caught on some unrendered pieces, scattering the light across the room and casting them into long shadows. Dream looked different when they just had to wait around, he always looked like he was in liminal space; he could either spring up at any moment and run for a mile or two, or pass out completely. Sapnap could never tell which would come first, and wished - not for the first time - that Dream didn't always wear the mask. 

He understood why his friend did, of course, but fantasies could still be fantasies. Thinking of Dream living without the mask could be slotted alongside the fantasy of the merman, something that may never happen. 

Of course, though, he couldn't stop himself from opening his big mouth.

“Do you think we’ll see him again?” 

“He didn't even give you mouth to mouth and you’re still dreaming of him? Damn. I’ve gotta step my game up.”

Sapnap ignored the jab and tried to reel in his words by changing the tone. “Ha ha, _dream_ ing.” 

“Would a better word be fantasizing?” Dream’s mouth curled into a smirk, and Sapnap thanked the lighting for obscuring his blush.

“No,” he said, “no, no, no. the correct word, you know, the one you’re looking for, is ‘interested’. I’m curious.” 

“I didn't realise you were into fish-people.”

Sapnap looked to the ceiling, like it would somehow save him from the conversation, but the long lines of shadow cast from the torch only reminded him of the time he’d dug into a gravel ceiling and suffocated. He shook his head from side to side to disperse the memory, but the feeling of hair standing up on the back of his neck lingered like an unwanted house guest. Dream didn't seem to notice a change in his friend’s attitude though, and Sapnap was quick to get back on topic.

He wasn't about to give Dream another thing to tease him over. It was bad enough when the other man was ‘helping’ him get over his fear of heights by pushing him.

“I didn't realise you _weren’t_. Which one of us was interested in the fish-man being half squid? Oh yeah. That was you.” 

“You were too busy looking into his eyes to notice the lower half of his body though.”

He huffed. “What did it look like then?” he asked, “was it as squid-y as all your wildest fantasies?” 

A sort of puzzled look went across Dream’s mouth then, like he was figuring out what to tell Sapnap in the most concise way possible, or like he too couldn't really tell what he had seen. After another moment, Dream spoke up.

“His lower half was mostly below the water. At first I thought he was just wearing jeans or something, given the colour, but… thinking back, his legs must have been way too long.”

Sapnap blinked, disbelieving. 

“A tail. You’re saying he had a tail.”

“No, he only had like one limb-”

“So a fishtail.” 

Dream frowned, but then admitted, “Yeah, I guess. But that’s impossible, there’s gotta be a different reason, or whatever. Do you think he could have been wearing a skirt? But like I said, he swam way faster than I could.” 

Through the small window of the blacksmith’s the sky was only a few minutes away from being completely dark, with little pinprick stars littering it. Inside, the building began to grow colder, and with their still damp clothing, it wouldn't be long before they were shivering. Sapnap didn't say anything as he got up and moved towards the furnace. It didn't take long to light, although he did use the torch as a means of starting the fire, and soon enough the mutton they had brought with them was sizzling. At least then the room got warmer, and Dream took his time bringing his hoodie in from outside. 

They undressed in silence, and after hanging up their clothes to dry overnight, slipped into the two beds. Dream didn't say anything more, and just rolled over to face the wall, but Sapnap kept his eyes open for a minute or so, thinking back on the shadow that had loomed over him back at the cove. 

For some reason, he didn't sleep well that night. 


	2. Chapter 2

The sky was clouded over when Dream and Sapnap exited the blacksmith’s shop the next day, and the humidity in the air had risen sharply over night, and so even though their clothes were dry, they felt clingy and wrong on their skin. The acacia trees rustled in the wind, their leaves whispering to one another as they shook and leaning towards the cove - like they wanted to go out to sea, if they were given autonomy from the tree that created them. Over the waves and rocky outcrop that made the mouth of the cove, the horizon was a sulphur yellow colour, with the sunlight staining the sky and leaving the blue they were used to a distant memory. 

Part of Sapnap wanted to suggest that they stay in the village in case it turned out to be a thunderstorm, but he also knew that Dream could probably make it back before it started, and he really didn't want to be left here alone. 

With the deteriorating weather, the village looked somehow worse even though nothing had really changed since the night before, but the missing villagers and continued silence from the bell and the Iron Golem left a space that couldn't be filled. Sapnap looked towards the fishing hut and shivered. While it was chilly that day, he wouldn't be forgetting the cold depths of the water anytime soon. 

With took one last glance, his eyes drifted-

Someone was in the cove again. 

Dream was elsewhere, probably salvaging a few books from the library, but there was another person (and they were definitely human) by the outcrop at the mouth of the cove, leaning on the rocks where Sapnap had been put by the fish-man the day before, but with their lower chest and legs in the water. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, and opened it once more. 

As if to intentionally make the situation stranger, the person waved. 

Sapnap didn't move, paralyzed, eyes not moving away from where the person’s body met the water. 

“Dream,” he said, voice barely leaving his mouth, and he got no response. 

The person in the water waved at him again. 

But then Dream’s green tinted figure entered Sapnap’s line of sight, and he could see the other man take in the image of the person in the water. He too stopped in his tracks, looking down the coastline and towards the mouth of the cove, and Sapnap could almost see the cogs turning in his head as he took in the image. Dream turned to him.

“Sapnap, there’s a person over there.”

“Yeah.” 

“So we weren’t just, I don't know, high on kelp or something?”

“Guess not.” 

Dream looked back at the person in the water, then said, “Well, I guess we should go see what they want.” 

Sapnap nodded, even though Dream was already walking down towards the cove again, and picked up the pace to follow his friend down to the sand. 

The person hadn't moved since waving at them the second time, and instead hung onto the rock with both hands. The water near to the rocks was choppy, frothing up in white waves and pulling the seaweed that clung to it downwards with each swell, but when Dream and Sapnap arrived, the person, if anything, seemed pleased to see them.

“Do you need help?” Dream asked immediately, since the man (and yes, it definitely was a man) hadn't moved from where he was half-submerged. However, just before Dream could ask him again, the man nodded and held one hand up to be pulled from the water. 

They both took a step forward, with Dream going for the hand that was offered and Sapnap went to get his other when Dream got a firm hold, and they hoisted the other man from the water, dragging his body up onto the sand like he was a fish they had pulled in from a particularly successful haul. 

There was, however, a slight problem. 

Neither of them commented on it, but after looking at Dream and seeing his own expression mirrored, Sapnap pulled his hoodie over his head and handed it to the other man. Thankfully, he didn't hesitate in putting it on. Sapnap’s hoodie was big anyway, and it covered the other man down to the middle of his thigh. Since the other man was now covered, Sapnap didn't hesitate in taking the stranger’s appearance in. 

He had short, dark hair which swept in one direction and was crispy at the ends from where it had dried, but was still relatively neat. His eyes were a chestnut colour, and almond shaped, making them as the most prominent feature on his face. 

And, Sapnap was never someone to beat around the bush. They were attractive, not quite hot but definitely more than cute, and Sapnap could appreciate the way his hoodie looked on the other man. 

“Do you, uh, have a name?” Dream asked, and the other man made an expression like he didn't quite know what to say, but then he used his hands to make a motion like a pencil and a piece of paper. 

Sapnap looked around for something for them to write with, and after finding a stick, he handed it to him. 

Using his left hand, the other man etched his name into the sand with neat swipes.

_ George. _

“Cool name,” Dream said, “I’m Dream, by the way. And this is Sapnap.” 

Sapnap startled at the mention of his name, and put a hand up at the last moment to try and at least say ‘hi’, but all he succeeded in doing was giving a little wave. George seemed to appreciate it, and smiled in turn. 

“So,” Dream said, breaking Sapnap’s concentration, “You can't talk, huh?”

Sapnap resisted the urge to roll his eyes. George had asked for a piece of paper and a pencil instead of just telling them his name, and he had to bite back on saying ‘ _ duh’ _ . George took it in stride though, and nodded at Dream. He scrubbed out his name on the sand, and on the smoother surface, he wrote;

_ Sometimes.  _

Sapnap furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. 

“Sometimes?” he asked, “what do you mean?”

George wiped the floor again. Distantly, there was the sound of thunder, and all three of them looked up to see the storm coming from the east and heading west, towards where their house was. It was still light enough to be considered day time, but if they didn't move quickly enough, Sapnap knew that they’d have to spend another night in the creepy village. 

“So, uh,” he said, and Dream took his eyes off the storm to give Sapnap a look that spoke volumes. “Do you have somewhere to stay? Our house isn't too far, if not.” 

George smiled slightly, like he was embarrassed (which was odd considering he didn't care when he was naked, but did now) and shook his head from side to side, his hair following the movement. Almost like Dream could tell what Sapnap was offering, (which, again, was odd considering how protective he could be of ‘his’ space), he spoke up.

“Come with us,” Dream said, “Sapnap snores but our house isn't  _ that _ bad. It’s better than that rock we found you on.” 

Another roll of thunder came from the east, and it didn't take long at all for George to nod his head, and an even shorter amount of time for Sapnap to offer his hand to help George down from the rocks. He didn't miss the half-fond and half-smug look Dream sent his way, but even after mouthing ‘what’ at the other man, Sapnap didn't receive an answer, Dream just smiled and began a way-too-fast walk up the steps to the village. Sapnap did, however, notice how Dream tilted his head towards their still clasped hands.

Sapnap flushed, but George didn't seem to notice, instead content with leading him after Dream, hands still clasped together.

“It’s not much,” Dream said as he opened the door to their house, “But I’m sure we can make room for one more in here… somewhere.” 

Their small ‘L’ shaped house was never particularly dirty, but entering it now with George still in hand made Sapnap feel like he and Dream lived like animals. Very little of what they owned and used often made it into the chests, meaning that buckets were stacked next to the crafting table and sticks were held in a glass bottle on the windowsill. The stairs that led to his bedroom had a box of cobblestones taking up half the space, which meant they had to side step it each time they went upstairs, and the trap door leading to the mine was left open, with the breeze from some cavern down there flickering the torch above it. The furnace hadn't been cleaned out, which Sapnap made a mental note to do, and the smoker looked like it might need doing as well. The door into Dream’s room was being held ajar with a rusted iron helmet, turned on its head and filled with a mixture of emeralds and Ender Pearls from the other, bigger village across the ravine. 

Dream, of course, didn't seem to notice or care as he stepped through, and George didn't appear to either, taking in his surroundings with an open curiosity that made Sapnap wonder if he had ever been inside a house before. George admired the torch above their mineshaft as Dream set down his bag and Sapnap closed the door behind them. They had only just made it back in time, and the now-abandoned village had been swallowed by the storm, like one final and consequential action that would wipe the place off their maps forever. In some ways, it was accurate: there wasn't anything worth going back for, but the cove was still an excellent place not only to fish but to hunt for Drowned. 

Whether or not they would go back remained to be seen, Sapnap supposed. The marks of the village’s that once resided there wouldn't be scrubbed from the walls any time soon, and something about existing where there once was… someone, felt a little off putting. 

He could only hope that they had managed to find their way over to the big village before either the raid hit or the night did. 

Almost like he could sense Sapnap’s melancholy thoughts, Dream turned to him and asked, “Do you want to eat? I could do with eating something, but I’m not too bad.”

Sapnap had to think for a moment, distracted by George looking down their mineshaft. 

“Yeah, probably for him, too,” Sapnap gestured to George.

“Alright.”

While Dream set about clearing the ash and soot from the smoker, Sapnap turned to George and a motion for him to follow. George did, and they both edged around the box of cobblestones on the stairs to get up to his bedroom. 

Almost like Dream could tell exactly what Sapnap didn't want him to say, he said, “Have fun banging up there!” 

George flushed, and Sapnap could feel his own cheeks turn pink. “Ignore him, he’s an idiot,” he assured George, “Let’s get you some clothes.”

He opened one of the two single-chests in the room, the one nearest his bed, and started to try and find something that would fit George. They were both around the same height, thankfully, with maybe an inch or so difference between them, so finding something that would fit height-wise wouldn't be so tough, but George was slender all over, while Sapnap had broader shoulders. It would make it difficult to find something that wouldn't be slipping off George’s shoulder, but privately, Sapnap could admit to liking the idea of George in something that was too big. 

Comfortable, might have been the word for what Sapnap eventually settled on dressing George in. But all he could think of when he saw George admiring his second hand T-shirt and jeans was ‘ _ Those are mine’ _ . 

It was troubling when he couldn't tell if he was referring to the clothes or George himself. 

And yeah, the clothes weren’t outstanding by any means, and yeah, George’s hair was still messed up from the salt water, but the grin splitting his face in two, and the twinkle in his eye when he saw Sapnap admiring the way he looked more than made up for it. George  _ was _ cute. Not just because of the clothes, or his features, or anything, but Sapnap couldn't help but feel like it was an annoying combination of everything that made him fit his type. 

What was his type? Up until now, it had been tall, annoying and blonde twink or shorter, sweeter, shyer, but still kind of annoying blonde. Although, those were the only two types of people he had come across in these weird worlds of theirs so far, so it might just be a case of not getting out enough. 

It didn't help that George’s personality radiated through him without the use of words. Snarky, sweet, and very thankful for clothes, but not really in the way he had been expecting. If anything, George was acting the same way he had when he saw the house, like it was a whole new experience. 

Sapnap stood from the bed, if only to distract himself from his thoughts, and went to the other chest in the room. He opened it and rummaged through ‘his’ belongings (even though Dream insisted that anything outside of their clothes was up for grabs if necessary), looking for the final thing George would probably want before they headed back downstairs. His hand brushed against what he was trying to find, and with a smile, he pulled the book, quill and pot of ink from the chest. 

“It has some stuff in it already,” Sapnap said, handing them over to George, “like coord’s and enchantment stuff, but most of it is blank.” 

George examined the feather closely, and Sapnap realised that he probably didn't know how to use it properly. When he had first tried to use a quill, all he’d succeeded in doing was getting the ink all up his arm and breaking the nib on the feather. 

“I’ll, uh, show you how to use it in a bit,” he settled on saying, and made his way downstairs. 

Dream sat on the floor near the smoker, waiting for the food inside to be cooked through, but he looked up at Sapnap when he came down the stairs. His face was unreadable, at first, thanks to the mask, but slowly a smirk tilted the corners of his mouth upwards, and Sapnap sort of wished he hadn't come down at all. 

Just as he thought Dream was going to stay quiet, he spoke up.

“So,” he said as Sapnap sat down on the chair nearby, “you gave him some of your clothes?”

Sapnap nodded, “Yours would be too big.”

Dream made a sound of agreement. “It’s not my fault that you’re both short.” 

“Don't be mean. Not all of us can be related to Endermen.”

“Do you want me to be nice to you or George?”

“Both would be nice.”

He sucked in a breath through his teeth, “hmm, that might be difficult. I can try, I suppose. Oh!” Dream looked at him directly, his mask still smiling in the easy-going way that it always did, “I forgot. He’s staying in your room, by the way.”

“What?” Sapnap snapped, “What? No. We can make him one?”

“Will we have time to before the-” a roll of thunder came from outside, the once distant rumbling coming from directly over their heads, and as if the weather had planned it, the gentle tapping of rain started hitting the windows. Dream, quieter now, finished his sentence.

“...Before the storm hits.” 

Sapnap and Dream looked towards where the water streaked down the windows, with the air instantly becoming colder around them. For a moment, the only sounds came from the smoker, the rain, and the still fluttering torch. 

George poked his head down the stairs, looking around like he had expected to see them doing something other than just sitting around. He looked confused, and he gestured to his ear and then outside. 

“Thunder,” Dream supplied, “you know, it comes with lightning, from the sky?”

For a moment George just stood there, but then he nodded, accepting the answer. He came down and sat on the floor between Sapnap and Dream, leaning with his back against their ‘whatever’ chest. If Dream noticed George’s ham-fisted attempt to act casually, he didn't say anything.

“Food should be ready pretty soon,” Dream said instead, and George nodded. Dream spoke up again, this time more directly to George. “So, are you new around here?” 

George seemed confused, and he pointed to the floor. ‘ _ To here?’ _ was the obvious question.

“To this world. The area. Either.”

He hesitated, but then nodded. Sapnap noticed the way George didn't quite seem to know what to say, like he wasn't new to the world, but seeing it in a whole other way. 

“Why were you in the water?” Sapnap had to ask. He watched as George mimed rowing a boat, and he struggled to get the next few words out. “You got lost at sea?” 

George nodded, and Sapnap was thankful Dream asked the next question and drew the attention away from him, since all he could think about was how terrible it must have been to be out at sea, alone, and to be thrown overboard into the cold water. It had been difficult enough when Sapnap had intentionally gone in and almost drowned, but if he hadn't expected it? If he hadn't held his breath before diving in? George didn't seem like he was in too bad a state on the rocks, but even an hour, maybe two, out there must have been enough to warn him away from the water for a while. 

The problem with that theory, however, was that George didn't seem too worried about it.

He wasn't shaken like Sapnap had been, and hadn't acted like he couldn't get out of the water fast enough. Furthermore, the way he reacted to some of the things he and Dream lived with was odd too, such as the fire on the torch, or clothing, or even the thunder. With the last one, it was like he was hearing it in a totally new way. Just as he was about to ask George something about it, however, Dream was shoving a piece of pork towards him, and the other man was already springing another question on George. 

“Did you appear further north? There’s a reef and then a forested island, one with a big hill on the east side. I’m surprised we haven't met you if you’re from there though.”

George looked at his own piece of pork like he wasn't quite sure what to do with it, but he tilted one of his hands from side to side in response to Dream’s question. Dream leant back with a frown, chewing over his words before he hazarded a guess at what George was trying to say.

“So, sort of north.”

George nodded.

“But not the island?”

Another nod.

“Further?”

A hand tilt. 

“Further east? West?”

“Dream, leave it be,” Sapnap found himself speaking up, interrupting the display before him. Dream’s frown deepened, like he didn't approve of Sapnap disrupting his interrogation session.

“Are you not curious? I’ve never heard of someone appearing in a totally different area of the map. Usually they always come from the same spot.” 

“Well,  _ yeah _ ,” Sapnap said around another bite of pork, “but George probably can't describe it.”

Sapnap paused long enough for George to nod. 

“How about tomorrow, if the storm has cleared up, we go to Bad’s place? He’s got that big map on the wall, and he can just point it out.”

As soon as Sapnap mentioned Bad, George’s eyes went marginally wider, almost miss able if Sapnap hadn't been looking in his direction in the first place. Turning his full attention to George, he noticed how his mouth had turned into a thin line, and he chewed his pork slowly. Part of him didn't want to say anything, but curiosity got the better of him. 

“Do you know Bad? He lives on a beach near the reef, north of here.” 

He could see the hesitation, but then George nodded. 

Dream made a noise like he was hurt. “How come Bad never said? That’s just plain rude.” 

George smiled in a way that reminded Sapnap of laughter. Looking at George, however, Sapnap couldn't help but think of how little they really knew about the other man, and how at seemingly every question there was a not quite answer or a surprise. It was like George was intentionally hiding information to either protect himself, or lead them astray. If Dream had noticed it, he hadn't made any indication of it, but then again, Sapnap was always the more observant of their duo. 

While the worst of the storm had passed, distant booms of thunder still sounded from outside, gradually heading westward with each burst of wind. The rain was no longer pelting against the window, but hit the ground hard enough to be heard inside. When all three of them had finished eating, Dream stood and stretched, the bottom of his jacket riding up slightly. 

“Well,” he announced, “I’m going to bed. Sapnap offered his bed to you, just by the way.” 

George blinked and then nodded. Sapnap gave Dream a look that spoke volumes, but Dream ignored him in favour of disappearing into his room, kicking the helmet full of emeralds aside to close the door behind him. 

Sapnap didn't quite know what to say, and George obviously didn't either, but as another quiet roll of thunder boomed outside, he found the courage to speak up.

“You can take the bed, if you want.” 

George made eye contact with him for what felt like the first time, but his expression was fierce, like he was unwilling to budge on whatever decision he was about to make. He shook his head.

Huffing, Sapnap tried again. “No, seriously. You can take it, it’s fine. It’s a single anyway, so too small for both of us.” 

But George just shook his head again. Something clicked.

“You want to share?” 

A nod. 

He didn't really know what to say to that either. George, for lack of a better option, rolled his eyes, grabbed Sapnap’s hand, and pulled. 

Voices. 

No real words said, but there was still the impression of voices speaking around him, muffled. 

Sapnap was weightless, but his body still moved downwards, sinking. 

He struggled to open his eyes, but even when he thought that they were open, all he saw was darkness, surrounding him like a tomb and pulling him further into the depths.

His fingertips were ice cold, stiff to move, and his shoes were filled with water, heavy like iron weights and dragging him down further. His back went first, his head, arms, hands and feet following it down. 

But then, far above him, a splash moved through him, rippling on the surface and becoming the only thing that Sapnap could see. His own legs were invisible and the movement of the water went straight through him. 

The water - there was so much water. 

There was enough water to die in-

To drown in.

Sapnap was drowning. 

Oddly, the darkness, the cold, the unsettling pressure on his ribcage, none of it was as harrowing as the sight of someone diving in after him. 

He opened his mouth - in retrospect, he wasn't even sure why - to say something. 

_ I’m not worth dying for _ , maybe.

_ Save yourself _ , perhaps. 

But only his air left his mouth, his lungs, as the bubbles rose to the surface that Sapnap could only hope of seeing again. His heartbeat slowed, his eyes closed, and his body lurched upwards with a sickening roll in his stomach.

George slept beside him, dead to the world and to Sapnap’s heavy breathing. The dim lantern that hung from the roof cast a shadow over him and George’s sleeping figure, the shadows in the room far warmer than the darkness of his dream.

It was comfortable. The rain outside had eased enough to be audible but not overpowering, and if he listened carefully enough, Sapnap could hear Dream snoring in his own room downstairs. The only window in his room, partially covered by a banner, showed that it was still dark outside. 

Gently, trying not to disturb George, Sapnap lay back down and turned away from the other man. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands clenched hard enough for his fingernails to dig into his palms, and let them go lax when George’s arm limply slipped around his waist. This had happened once before with Dream, and Sapnap had been so nervous about waking the other man up he breathed shallowly the whole night. This time, George’s closeness just made him breathe deeper, as if his presence was enough to say ‘ _ You’re not there now, you’re safe with me.’ _

Sapnap just hoped he could get across the same message when George was awake, that he was safe with him. 


	3. Chapter 3

Bad’s house was a hexagonal cobblestone monstrosity parked on the crystal white sands of the beach to their north, standing three stories tall and with an overhang and battlements at the very top. It obscured the landscape like no other structure that Sapnap had ever seen outside of the Nether, and had banners dangling in pairs off of each side, dyed red and black with a single yellow ‘eye’ (although, it may have just been a spot) in the middle. The very top of each wall went up and down, creating arrow slots to shoot through, but as far as Sapnap and Dream knew, they had never been used for that purpose. 

The side of the building that faced north was partially submerged at high tide, but during low tide the sea was over a mile away, forming a thin line of blue on the horizon. 

They made their way across the wide beach, only pausing once for Dream to pick up a stray fishing hook from the sand, and every step Sapnap took towards the tower, and subsequently the water’s edge, made him feel more and more uneasy. He could hear the vague rumble of the waves crashing on the sands, and feel the air get cooler from the resulting spray, with the scent of salt surrounding them completely. He had never felt this way when going to Bad’s house before - he had never needed to - but the feeling that had surrounded him when he almost drowned was back with a vengeance. His body, more so than his mind, did not want to be anywhere near here. 

Getting closer to the ocean had almost the opposite effect on George, who’s strides got longer and hands fell to his sides more easily. Sapnap knew, of course, that their new friend didn't fear the ocean as much as he did, but it still made him think of the all-important question - why? 

What made him fear the ocean but left George feeling fine? Why did he feel like such a coward? 

Even Dream seemed apprehensive about going forward, if his friend’s attempts to distract himself were anything to go by. He was basically beach combing, picking up bits of sea glass and broken shells as he went, but Sapnap knew that it probably came from nervousness rather than fear. The last time Dream had been to Bad’s place, there ended up being a hole blasted through the wall. 

Eventually, the tower loomed over them, and they faced the heavy task of knocking on the door. None of them reached forwards at first. 

Like ripping off the plaster, Sapnap reached forward and knocked. 

A crash came from inside, then he could hear Bad’s voice yell, “Coming! One second!” 

A brief moment later, Bad pulled open the door, his smile turning surprised when his eyes went from Dream and Sapnap to George. 

“Oh!” he said, a bit too late for it to seem natural, “hey guys. What uh, what brings you by? And who’s this?”

Dream was too far forward to see George, but Sapnap glanced over when George made an expression as if he and Bad were having a silent conversation. If not for Bad’s hood enveloping most of his face in shadow, Sapnap probably would have seen him look between the three of them, confused.

“George,” Dream said, holding up a hand to gesture to the man in question, “said that he knows you.”

Bad’s face shifted again, turning friendly rather than shocked. “Right! Sorry, I didn't remember your name for a second there. Come in, guys.”

The tower on the inside was less imposing, but still had the dark stone walls and high ceilings that Sapnap had come to expect from his home. The floors were made of repurposed timber that Bad had found from a shipwreck when he was still building the place, and they looked worn and salt stained with an uneven texture. A blue lantern hung from the ceiling, attached with a single chain, making the room look colder but feel warm, and was the only source of light in the room. Sapnap knew that on the second and third floors had thin, metal lined windows, originally made for Bad to shoot a crossbow through, but they didn't usually provide much light. 

On the opposite side of the room, against the wall that faced the ocean, there was a collection of growing Nether Wart and a trap door leading down. To the right was a furnace and two blast furnaces, shoved beneath the spiral staircase leading up, but none were producing heat, and on the left was a crafting area with four chests. The carpet in the middle of the room was wrinkled slightly and a diamond-blue colour, making the pale flooring and blue lantern seem even colder. Distantly, if Sapnap listened closely, he could hear trickling water, like Bad had a brewing station set up in the basement. 

Dream wandered in without questioning it, with George following suit and Bad closing the door behind them. There wasn't anywhere to sit, but Dream sat on the carpet in the middle of the room, kicking his legs out in front of him in what Sapnap could tell was intentionally casual. Dream did sometimes lack tact, but he could tell that his friend was a little anxious. George, on the other hand, didn't bother trying not to look nervous. 

“Okay, so,” Sapnap began, willing to do anything to break the silence, “You know the village to the east? The little one?”

Bad was rummaging through one of his chests, “Uh huh, the one with the two Iron Golems, right?”

“Well,” Dream picked up where Sapnap left off, “there was a raid, and Sapnap and I went there the day before yesterday to see if anyone was still there.”

“And?” 

“There wasn't.”

“Oh, that’s awful!” Bad turned around to look at them, his mouth pulled tight in a frown. 

Sapnap hurried to continue, “We didn't find any evidence of them being dead though, just, you know, an empty village. They might have gone to the other one.”

“I guess that’s true. What was at the village then?”

“Sapnap saw a shape out in the cove and thought one of the villagers was out there. He went after them, but there was an underwater ravine and it broke his boat. We wanted to ask you, though,” Dream paused, almost like it was to make his next words more dramatic, “Have you ever seen something weird out in the cove?”

Bad paused as well, considering what Dream had said. “...No?” he said, but the tone was off, “No. I, uh. I haven't seen anything. Not out there.” 

Sapnap picked up on the last bit. “What do you mean ‘not out there’?”

Bad waved a hand, dismissive. “It’s the ocean, you muffin. It makes weird noises all the time. I don't spend enough time at the cove to hear them, but when the tide is in here, you hear things.”

“What kind of things?” Dream asked. 

There was a pause, before Bad said, “the wind, sometimes when there’s a storm it makes a noise like a whistle, but before now, maybe a week ago, it sounded like someone singing.”

“Singing?” 

“Yeah, but what was weird is that all the books or stories I’ve read always say it’s a woman’s voice.”

Sapnap blinked. “So what about that is weird?”

“It sounded like a man.” 

He saw George shift out the corner of his eye, going from one foot to the other, but his attention was still on Bad. 

“Was someone out at sea?” Dream asked. 

“In that weather? They’d be really muffin’ed if they were.”

“So was there?”

“I don't know,” Bad shrugged, but his expression didn't look so indifferent. “I would have gone out there, you know I would, but I didn't want to die too.” 

“No, that’s fair enough,” Dream assured Bad, who smiled back slightly around his crumbling expression. “And have you heard it since?”

“No.” 

George looked between Dream and Bad as they exchanged words, minute flickers of his eyes like he knew something that one of them didn't and was waiting for a revelation, but he stopped when his eyes landed on Sapnap. Instead, he smiled awkwardly, and turned his gaze to the floor. 

“Can I talk to Dream a sec, Bad?” Sapnap spoke up, pushing himself off the furnaces so that he could move across the room. 

“Yeah, go ahead. Do you want to go upstairs, or-?”

“Nah, it’s cool. Outside is fine.” 

Dream shot him a glance, but Sapnap just grabbed his arm and pulled, leading them both through the front door. The air was cool, with the horizon a skyless grey, cloud covered, like it was going to rain on them again. Sapnap could feel the spray of the ocean air on his skin and hair, tussling it slightly as the breeze blew around Bad’s tower and buffeted the banners on the sides. In the pale light of the evening, Dream looked washed out, his green clothes turning a turquoise colour and making him appear sickly. 

Through the door, Sapnap could hear Bad talking. 

“Do you want to see my potion room?” he heard Bad ask, and the subsequent noise of feet going down the rungs of a ladder. 

Dream didn't look impressed, but before he could open his mouth and talk, Sapnap did it for him.

“What if George is the mer-person?”

Snapping his mouth closed, Dream’s mouth pulled down at the corners into a frown. “But George has legs.” 

“Well, yeah,” Sapnap conceded, “but  _ what if- _ ” 

“You’re asking me to believe in a lot of ‘what-if’s here, Sapnap.” 

“Okay, no. I’m asking you to believe in a lot of links which may or may not be true,” Sapnap corrected, “So, what if George was the mer-person.”

Dream’s mouth turned into a thin line, but instead of saying anything he folded his arms and nodded his head, letting Sapnap continue. 

“Okay, so,” he started, “there was the person-slash-villager in the water, right? Then the maybe-mer-person who saved me, but looking back, they definitely looked human from the waist up, so my only real guess is a mer-person or weird dolphin with a human face.”

Dream hadn't moved, but Sapnap went on.

“Then, the next day, we think there is a mer-person again, only this time it’s George, which brings up a whole host of questions as well. George, well, he was, you know-”

“Naked?”

“Yes. that.” Sapnap struggled for a second to recover his point, “and he said that he crashed his boat out at sea, which is another weird thing.”

Dream interrupted him, “I mean, I guess. He hasn't been breaking out into a cold sweat when we were coming here, unlike you were. Do you think he might just be over a fear of the ocean though? Like how you used to be scared of skeletons?” 

“Maybe,  _ or _ ,” Sapnap paused for affect, “he was the mer-person.” 

“George has legs.” 

“Bad has potions.’

“There is literally no correlation there.”

Sapnap struggled to put it into words, opening and closing his mouth, but then he rushed into his next explanation. “Okay, so, the singing at sea in the storm the other week. That doesn't sound like a tale of, perhaps, ‘mer-person singing out in the ocean’? What about, you know, the fact that he’s supposedly a shipwrecked sailor whose boat and possibly crew all got killed at sea but he still likes the ocean? Doesn't that sound a bit weird? George and Bad both admitted to knowing one another too, even though Bad didn't recognise George at first, which may be because of, oh I don't know, the last time they saw one another one of them didn't have legs? Do you think George might not, I don't know, ask Bad for a potion that would make him human? Even if only for a few days or so?” 

He didn't realise how heavily he was breathing until after his tirade came to an end. He hadn't raised his voice throughout, but Dream still looked like he was mulling over Sapnap’s words, his mouth a slightly more sombre looking despite his mask’s smile. The wind picked up a wave of sand, kicking it against their trouser legs and knocking the door to Bad’s place open slightly more. 

“But why?” Dream asked, “if he did do all that, which, I’ll be totally clear here, I don't think is happening at all, why would he do it?”

And just like that, all the pride, bravado and energy in him left in a rush, and his shoulders slumped.

“I don't know,” Sapnap admitted, “There're so many invisible links, or what feel like links and might not actually be links at all. Why  _ would _ George decide to stay with us? How come Bad didn't say anything about knowing George, even if he wasn't human? When Bad met you, he didn't think _ you _ were human, so he shouldn't have been weird about it with us, I don't think. I don't know why these all seem linked, I don't know and it's been driving me crazy.” 

Sapnap turned away, looking further inland at the shrub bushes and crooked trees that marked the end of the savannah and the way back home. At this rate, they’d probably have to stay over at Bad’s place to avoid the wetter than usual weather they were having. It felt almost like the sky, or maybe just the water that came from it, was trying to reclaim something it had lost. Sapnap didn't like the thought, but it was like it wanted to reclaim the land.

Dream’s frown lifted slightly, but it seemed like he had realised something more so than started smiling. Because Sapnap couldn't see his eyes, he couldn't quite tell what the expression meant. 

“What if George, if he was the mer-person, which I'm not saying he is, just by the way, thought that you were hot?” Dream asked. 

...What.

“What.”

Sapnap turned back to him, expecting to see a teasing smile, but Dream’s face was void of humour. 

“What if that’s his reason why? What if he was hypothetically the mer-person and saved you, and thought that you were hot, so he went to Bad for a potion and then met us at the cove as a human?”

“He won't think I’m hot.” 

Dream frowned. “ _ That’s _ the thing you’re finding unbelievable? Seriously? You were just telling me about how,  _ oooh  _ Bad’s been helping a mer-person become human, and,  _ oooh  _ he definitely knew about George’s existence and didn't tell us! Is George being interested in you the weirdest? Really?” 

“Uh,  _ yeah? _

“Sapnap, dude, I know you have ridiculously low self-esteem, but your eyesight isn't that bad, is it?”

“Are you in love with me, Dream?” came his automatic response, but there was little of the usual teasing behind it, coming across hollow. 

“I love you, but George might be in  _ love _ with you. Infatuated. Yesterday when I said that you two were sharing a bed, if anything, he looked pleased. Please tell me that you’re not  _ that _ oblivious, Sapnap.” 

Sapnap opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He closed it again, but before he could talk again, the door to Bad’s house opened again.

“Hey, uh,” he said, his little white eyes his only visible feature beneath his hood, “The tide is coming in soon? Are you guys done talking because, you know, I don't want to interrupt but I also don't want you two getting soaked out here. Sorry.” 

“No, it’s fine,” Sapnap latched onto the less embarrassing conversation like a limpet on the hull of a ship, “thanks for letting us know.”

Dream, thankfully, took to the conversation as well. “Do you want us to go? We should be able to make it back before the tide comes in.” 

“You can stay, it’s no big deal but, you know…” Bad trailed off, and Sapnap realised what he was implying.

Understanding as well, Dream nodded. “Sure,” he said, “I’m cool with that if the rest of you are. Should we go back inside?” 

The problem with Bad’s place was that he didn't often have guests over.

While in some homes it may have manifested in there being stuff everywhere, or for there to be no real rhyme or reason to where things like crafting tables and brewing stands were placed, in Bad’s house it meant that the facilities weren’t meant for more than one or two people. 

Which also meant that Sapnap was sharing a bed with George. Again.

Because of course he was. 

Life, the universe, and everything else sure had a sense of humour. 

“Sorry again,” Bad said, rubbing his neck beneath his head, “Like I said, usually I only have Skeppy over.”

“It’s… fine,” Sapnap replied, “We can share. Are you and Dream sharing too?”

“Yeah. Sheep are so hard to come by around here… it’s annoying.” 

“See you tomorrow,” Dream said with a grin before following Bad back up the stairs.

George waved back a little, his expression uneasy. As he did the night before, George grabbed Sapnap’s wrist and pulled him further into the room, seemingly content with having to share space again. “Are you okay with this?” Sapnap found himself asking as he took in the sparse room. 

Other than the bed, the room only had two lanterns and a table, and paired with the low ceilings it looked cosy, almost like his own bedroom back at their home. The only real difference was with its shape, since it wasn't an attic room but rather one on the middle floor, and the walls were all made from stone. The most noticeable change, and the most unsettling in Sapnap’s opinion, were the sounds coming from outside. 

The tide was not completely in, still roughly half a mile away and would take over an hour before it was close enough to Bad’s base to be heard in its full capacity. However, the dull roar that Sapnap heard while walking to the base was back with a vengeance, getting closer gradually like the effects of a long-lasting potion before (and he knew it was coming) it would feel like it came on all at once, swallowing him completely. Like all cases of visiting to the sea, the presence of the ocean could often be felt long before seeing it. 

They undressed in silence, with both George and Sapnap removing their shirts but leaving their trousers in place, and as Sapnap was taking off his shoes, George pulled back the covers and got into the left side of the bed. As with the night before, Sapnap debated just leaving the other man there and going to sleep downstairs, not because of something being wrong with being a bed with George, but just… because. 

Because-because. 

But instead he got in, pulled the covers up over them both, turned so that his back was to him, and smothered the wick in the lantern closest to them. 

And if he was pleased that George snaked an arm around his middle to draw him closer, then it was a secret for him and George alone to know. 


	4. Chapter 4

_ I am so sick of shadows _ , Sapnap thought, looking up at the wooden beams on the ceiling. The cold sweat from earlier was sticking to his skin like a second layer, making him clammy and attaching him to the sheets. There wasn't a window in the room (though the divot in the cobblestones suggested that there had been one in the past, but had just been filled in to keep the ocean out), so he couldn't tell what time it was, but based on the angry gurgles coming from below, the tide was fully in and pressed up against the side of the building in an unwanted hug. 

Sapnap threw his arm over the side of the bed and sighed, taking a couple of deep breaths and focusing on the feeling of his ribs being too tight.  _ Dreams shouldn't make you feel like this _ , he thought,  _ there’s nothing out there in the water to fear. _

An ebb and swell below him made him open his eyes, and the icy cold feeling returned. 

“George?” he said quietly, patting the side of the bed the other man had been in earlier. He leant up. “George?” 

Only silence met his question. A wave hit the bottom of the tower, and the slow and uneasy feeling of dread sunk down into his stomach, settling among the leftover panic from his dream. 

Something crashed below him - broken. 

Without thinking, Sapnap tumbled from the bed and went to the door, taking the steps down into Bad’s crafting room again. The front door to the tower creaked every time the waves moved in or out, but they didn't budge the lock that was still holding it closed. But tracking his eyes around the room, first on the furnaces and then to the growing Nether Wart, to the trapdoor and then finally to the chests, Sapnap realised what was amiss. 

The trapdoor was open. 

“George?” he said again, sounding far too loud in the room. 

The sound of trickling water, which he had heard when he first came into Bad’s tower the day before and had assumed was just a brewing stand, replied. 

The uneasy feeling which had settled into his stomach like a stone became heavier as he forced himself to approach the trapdoor. It was made of oak, but it’s washed out colour matched the floorboards, and Sapnap got the distinct impression that Bad had probably salvaged it from a shipwreck too, like he had done with the floorboards. The smell of salt water, refreshing but heady, seeped from the room below and to where Sapnap was standing. He cleared his throat around the smell, but his voice still shook. 

“George?”

Again, nothing. 

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Sapnap worked on autopilot to poke his head over the edge. All he saw were more cobblestones, some of which were green-tinged and slimy from algae, but what caught his attention was a fleeting shadow cast on the wall, like something or someone had walked in front of a torch. 

He didn't think before putting his feet on the rungs of the ladder, taking them one by one, until his bare feet touched the water-cooled and still wet stone floor. Facing the ladder, Sapnap took a deep breath, then another, and squeezed his eyes shut. He turned. 

Silence hung in the air. 

Three things struck him immediately. The first was that Bad had a secret underground fishing area that without a doubt led to the ocean, which he guessed because of how the water in the fishing-zone rippled like grass in the wind, and from the water-breathing potions and brewing stand that sat on a table to the left. On the right were two rods and a bucket, the former of which shimmered with enchantments. 

The second thing that stuck him was the nautilus shell that lay in hundreds of pieces across the floor, like someone had broken it intentionally.

And the third were bubbles, coming from down below the water, like someone was down there. Like George was down there.

Drowning.

Sapnap was no hero - he still felt fear, and he definitely feared the ocean. 

Though he was, according to Dream at least, a bit stupid. 

And apparently his stupidity outweighed his fear. 

The shock of the ice-cold water woke him up from his impulsive action, but Sapnap swallowed his cry as it bubbled up and took a second to get used to the feeling of floating after three days on dry land. He kicked his legs, swung his arms from side to side, and looked down. 

Like an open mouth, Sapnap couldn't see the bottom of the watery cavern. Like an open mouth, the dark engulfed his feet and promised the same for the rest of him, and he got the distinct feeling that if he went down there, after the fleeting bubbles coming from below, he would never see daylight again. The cobblestone walls curved inwards, almost like they would close in after he dunked his head. Sapnap was no hero, but according to Dream he was a bit stupid, so he took a deep breath, letting it settle in his lungs and blow out his cheeks like a pufferfish, and dunked his head to swim into the depths. 

And  _ oh my god _ , he thought _ , this is terrible. _

It went deep enough for kelp to rise above him when he swam downwards, accusing him of going the wrong way down the tunnel, but as he let himself sink into the gloom, the vague figure of someone - George - appeared from the darkness - A lighthouse in the dark, both a welcome sight and a warning. Sapnap moved his arms in broader and broader strokes, his lungs burning as he let out some of the air inside him to decrease buoyancy, and the person in the water looked up. 

Their face was indescribable, still hidden in the darkness of the water, but the eyes, shimmering coins calling to him, were all he could see. 

Sapnap thrust a hand towards them, and a webbed hand, complete with claws and scales, reached back. 

George smiled, and faster than Sapnap ever could have hoped of being, he pulled them both to the surface of the water, past the weeds and the kelp, through the ice-cold liquid, towards the light at the end of the watery tunnel. Finally, the surface broke, and the burning in his lungs released in a gasp. George guided him over to the edge of the fishing pool, where a ladder made half of rope and half of seaweed lead back onto the cobble platform. Sapnap pulled himself up and rolled so that his back pressed against the algae covered floor, gasping for breath to ease the rapid beating of his heart. The air outside of the water was much warmer, which he hadn't noticed (or rather, hadn't appreciated) before. 

Lolling his head, drunk on air, Sapnap looked to where George was blinking at him, still half submerged in the water and with a massive blue and white fish tail replacing where his legs once were. He blinked, watching the way that the fin arched upwards and out of the water vertically, like a sail or any other fish near to the surface of the water. Even his skin, which looked like any other humans before, had a pale blue undertone and covered in small, fair scales, which became larger and a darker blue as it approached the lower half of his body. Bad would have probably known what kind of fish he looked like, given that it was definitely something tropical like an angel fish or a surgeon fish, or… something. Like he said, he wasn't good with fish - especially since there were bigger things to focus on.

“You- you're a-” Sapnap stuttered. He closed his mouth, then opened it, and then closed it again. “Fish.” 

George blinked at him, his eyes much wider than before, but it didn't give Sapnap the impression of him being shocked or anything, but it was more like this was how George was  _ supposed _ to look, like he was really, truly seeing him for who he was for the first time. 

“Yeah.” 

“You can talk!” Sapnap yelled, taking a step back.

Now it was George’s turn to be aghast. 

“Yes? Is that what shocked you? Not-” he gestured to the lower half of his body with one webbed hand, “not the Siren features?” 

“Uh, yeah? This whole,” he pointed to where George hung half out the water, “thing. This whole thing is pretty shocking, but I gotta start somewhere. How did you get human?” 

“Bad made me a potion,” George shrugged, his bare shoulder being as annoyingly distracting as it was when they first met. “I asked him to, and he did.” 

“And he just… did?”

George grinned. He pulled himself further up into Sapnap’s space and lay down so that his head was level with Sapnap’s stomach. “Bad’s a nice guy. He warned me about the whole, ‘there might be temporary consequences’ thing, but… yeah.” 

“Y-yeah? That’s it?” 

“Uh-huh. I’m surprised you’re not freaking out more.”

“I have a lot of questions, don't get me wrong,” Sapnap started, laughing awkwardly, “But I figured I’d start with the ones I wanted answered more.” 

“Can I ask a question?”

He shrugged. 

“Okay.” 

“Did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That I was the one that pulled you up from the water. Back at the cove.” 

Sapnap paused to roll his answer around his mouth, not quite knowing what to say as George looked at him earnestly. His whole face was just so difficult to look away from. 

“I couldn't quite put two-and-two together, but it was one of my theories.” 

“Did you know why?” 

Sapnap's previously neutral face flushed dark, and George grinned again and- oh, those were some sharp teeth. He didn't want to admit Dream’s theory, which was totally ridiculous. There was just no way. 

“There was… something. I don't think it holds any weight.” 

“Tell me?”

“No?”

George huffed.

“Okay. Look, I’m not, like, one for beating around the bush. I saved you, pulled you from the water, whatever.” George paused, still leaning on top of Sapnap, but then went on. “I’d known Bad from before. He found me after getting beached from a storm.”

“The singing?”

“Mourning. I thought that I was going to die, but he dragged me down here and when I insisted on rewarding him for saving my life, he refused at first. Eventually he mentioned a couple of things.”

“...Which were?”

“A pearl and three nautilus shells.” 

Sapnap nodded, but didn't speak up.

“So I left, found you a few days later, and thought, ‘I want to be with that guy’.”

“Dream and I?”

“No,  _ you. _ ”

He didn't know what to say, but George kept talking. 

“So that night, I prayed that you and Dream would stay around the area and went to find Bad to ask him about what I should do. And, as it turned out, he knew about a potion.”

“To turn you human,” Sapnap filled in, “but at a price.” 

“A  _ temporary  _ price. The potion was temporary too, unfortunately. But yeah, my voice had to be taken in order for me to become human. It was put in that broken shell, actually.”

Sapnap swept and arm upwards and brushed a piece of said shell, which made a clinking sound as it moved on the cobbles. “This one?”

“Yep. That’s the very one.” 

George pulled himself up a bit more, so that his head was able to rest on Sapnap’s chest. He tried not to notice how cold George’s skin was compared to his own and the temperature of the room. It was like George was trying to take it away from him. 

“You kind of know the rest from there,” George said, dragging one of his claws in a circle on Sapnap’s chest. 

“Not all of it,” Sapnap replied before he could stop himself. 

“What’s left?”

“Just… why? Why did you want to meet me and Dream? Why did you need to make yourself human to do it? Why was the urge strong enough for you to give up your voice to do it?” 

George looked at him in a way that made Sapnap get the distinct feeling of missing the point. He shrugged, as if to let George know of how uncomfortable he was with not knowing. 

“It’s you.”

He said it as if it was the simplest thing in the world to understand. 

“What about me?”

“No, it’s  _ you. _ I turned human because I met you.”

“...I don't think I understand.” 

With a look that Sapnap didn't dare call fond, George pulled himself further up his body once more, to the point where he could feel George’s tail lying as a dead weight on his legs. George rested his arms on either side of Sapnap’s head, so that they were sharing more than just body heat. 

“Sapnap,” George said. He realised that it was the first time his name had come out of the other man’s (mer-man’s? Or Siren’s?) mouth. 

“Uhm, yes?”

“You’re handsome.”

“Oh no.” 

George’s expression hardly changed, but one of his eyebrows twitched upwards. 

“What does ‘oh no’ mean?”

“Oh. Oh no. You’re mistaken.” 

“I don't think I am.”

“You must be.” 

“I’m not. You’re definitely handsome.”

“No. Nah.”

“Well… I guess I’ll ask Dream then.” 

Sapnap blinked.

“Dream? What’s he got to do with anything?”

“If I want to stay human, I need to drink the potion and then kiss someone. Originally, I was planning on it being  _ you _ , since you’re so handsome and attractive and beautiful, but if you don't want to, I’ll have to go to Dream.” 

“So you were trying to persuade me?”

“To kiss you? Yeah. To pursue something more? I was hoping so.” 

“‘ _ Something more _ ’?”

George frowned, “I don't know the word for it,” he admitted, “but like a relationship? There’s a word for it when it’s just testing it out.” 

Sapnap stared at him. “You want me to kiss you,” he stated, “and maybe ‘something more’.” 

“I do.” 

Sapnap didn't hesitate then, pulling his arms from his side and holding George’s head in his hands, he pulled them together. 

Kissing someone with what felt like a thousand teeth was a new experience, to say the least, and having their water-logged body pull all the warmth from his body as it was happening was new too. George’s hair felt like seaweed when he snuck his fingers between the strands, and he smelt like a weird mixture of fresh air and salt, not quite pleasant but not unpleasant either. 

And with his mouth pulling back into a smile against his own, George pulled back and grinned again, his gills flaring out as he breathed through his mouth. 

“I liked that,” he said, “but, uh, to turn human, I need to drink the potion first.” 

Sapnap flushed, but he couldn't bring himself to be too embarrassed as George laughed. 

“Should I take that as a yes, then?”

“What will happen if it doesn't work out between us? Like with you being human and all.”

“I still want to be human. If it’s with you, it’s even better, but…” George looked like he didn't really know what to say, and his tail twitched from side to side, “We won't know unless we try, right?”

For a moment neither of them spoke. Sapnap's chest rose and fell, even with George leaning his whole body on top of the other man, but he couldn't find it within himself to complain about the weight. The pool of sea water was much calmer than before, the brewing stand was no longer making the trickling sound of water like it had done before, and even if he listened closely he couldn't hear the crashing of the tide above them. If he was better at being wordy, he might have mentioned it to George - about how the sea was upset about her missing Siren - but somehow, addressing felt as if it would ruin the moment. 

“Okay,” he settled on saying, and George turned his coin-like eyes back to him, gazing intently. 

“Okay?”

“Yeah. We can try. So how do we make this potion again?”

George smiled. 

“Do you have a pearl, by any chance?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wo-hoo! It's done! Thank you for reading :) 
> 
> Editing the last chapter was a chore, which is why I uploaded this over a couple of days, rather than all at once. Some pieces of it didn't quite make sense at first, but hopefully that's all sorted now and has made for a satisfying end to the story. I'm still pretty new to the fandom, but depending on how well this one does, I might do more? Not entirely sure at this point. 
> 
> Again, if you did like this, kudos/comment/bookmarks are appreciated as it lets me know you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> All of the chapters of this fic have been written, but I'm just working on editing them now :) they should be up soon! 
> 
> If you liked this, please leave a kudos or a comment, as they mean a lot to me. 
> 
> I dont support the shipping of real life people, which is why this piece is set in an AU based more so on their personas rather than Sapnap and George as irl people. As far as I'm currently aware, Dream, George and Sapnap are fine with fanfiction being written about them at this time, but if shipping content is considered incorrect by the creators in the future, or just fanfiction at all, this work will be deleted. The last thing I want to do is offend them or make them uncomfortable.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: @turtle-ier  
> Find me on Twitter: @Turtle_ier


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